New songs for October 19th 2022

 here they are:


"Bad Thing" by Miya Folick:  A swath of post-millennial synth-pop creeps up on the listeners of Miya Folick's breakthrough song, "Bad Thing," before shortly swallowing its listeners whole in a whirling wave of self-loathing. The song itself seems to reflect the post-millennial lifestyle of being willing enough to admit you need help while still despairing the life of drugs and "fake friends" you've surrounded yourself with. Whether Miya is referring to online friends or to ex-friends is not made clear, but both seem to happen in the lives of typical Gen Y and Z people. "Bad Thing," as its title indicates, talks about bad things. It never really makes an effort to resolve them, but it does an excellent job venting about said subject.

"Just Before the Morning" by Local Natives:  "Just Before the Morning" is the perfect song to listen to...well...just before the morning! Its ethereal, ambient, synth-laden folk-pop atmosphere fits well with the dawning of the day. Local Natives are typically a pretty gentle-sounding group, but this song seems even more soothing than their usual material. The song describes how repetitive life is while being a bit repetitive itself, albeit not in a bad way, just by not moving beyond the four chords it starts out with. Perhaps that was intentional on their part? Regardless, this is a great wake-up song if you want to start the day off with something chill.

"Lover's Game" by The War and Treaty:  The War and Treaty are probably one of the best examples of how the classic R & B style has thrived through the late 2010's and early 2020's. Of all their material so far, though, "Lover's Game" is probably the song that goes more towards the B (blues) than the R (rhythm) of their material! "Lover's Game" is a saucy, barn-burnin' blues-rock track that sets its subject straight! Exactly who the subject is is unclear, as The War and Treaty are a husband-and-wife duo. Perhaps the song is being addressed to one of their past lovers, but whoever it's about, "Lover's Game" pulls no punches and shows you who's the boss!

"New Body Rhumba" by LCD Soundsystem:  Here's a triple dose of indie rock trivia for ya! In addition to LCD Soundsystem, a cult fave of indie fans, releasing their first successful single to adult alt radio stations, it is also on the soundtrack to a movie based on Don DeLilo's "White Noise," from which the indie-pop/rock group, The Airborne Toxic Event, got its name, and said movie is being directed by indie film director fave, Noah Baumbach, whose name inspired indie-folk-rock group, Noah and The Whale! Talk about a whirlwind of information! "New Body Rhumba" is also one of the more uptight, claustrophobic songs of the LCD Soundsystem catalog. Despite their techno-y sounding name, LCD Soundsystem are also sometimes influenced by folk-rock, power pop, and other forms of music ("All My Friends" probably would have made a great adult alt radio single for its more melodic sound and folk-rock influence), but instead, it's "New Body Rhumba" that's gracing the adult alt airwaves, a 7-and-a-half minute post-punk revival song with stark, slightly paranoid music and somewhat off-putting lyrics about "needing a new body," the meaning of which is never made quite clear in the song. 

"This is Why" by Paramore:  Led by post-millennial female rock revolutionary, Hayley Williams, Paramore quickly became one of the most recognizable faces of the "emo-pop" movement of the mid to late 2000's with their scathing single, "Misery Business." It's obvious that Hayley, much like her emo-pop contemporaries, was a fan of mid-'90s pop-punk trailblazers like Green Day, Weezer, and blink-182, all of whom paved the way for the emo movement later on. However, Hayley was fresh out of high school when that song hit the big time, and she's now approaching her mid-30's. So what does she listen to now?! The answer might surprise you! If their latest song, "This is Why," is anything to go by, I'd guess she has unexpectedly become a Talking Heads fan! The song recalls the spiky and off-kilter yet still catchy post-punk of Heads tunes like "Crosseyed and Painless," and even the lyrics of "This is Why" seem somewhat Byrne-esque. The exaggerated paranoia in both songs combined with catchy beats might give you the impression that not much has changed between 1980 (when Talking Heads' "Crosseyed and Painless" was released) and 2022, but the coronavirus pandemic has made people twice as paranoid now as they probably were then, which brings a whole new dimension of fear to "This is Why." Where David Byrne expressed hesitancy to trust others in "Crosseyed...," "This is Why" expresses hesitancy to trust the world outside your home! 

New songs for June 17th 2020

Wow. It's been nearly a month since I last posted an entry for this blog! Perhaps amidst all the racial issues AND health issues the world has been facing, the music world (at least the Adult Alt world) got sort of quiet for awhile. Things are slowly starting to pick up again in the music world, though, with four new entries for this week.


"Dark Days" by Local Natives (featuring Sylvan Esso): If you're a Local Natives fan and the title of this song sounds familiar to you, that's probably because this is actually a remake of a song that Local Natives have had since 2016. The melody, key, and instruments are exactly the same as the 2016 version, mixing "yacht rock" (think latter-day Steely Dan, Fleetwood Mac, etc.) with the techno-pop side of the indie scene. The main difference between the two versions is that fellow indie popsters, Sylvan Esso, are guest vocalists on the 2020 version. You might think that the title "Dark Days" is some sort of political reference, especially given how both versions of the song were released on an election year, but it's actually a song about growing up and coming of age in Southern California (my neck of the woods!) The blissed out vibes of this song definitely call for some California dreamin', on such a summer's day.


"Dreamsicle" by Jason Isbell: Jason Isbell's songs are typically either angry, politically fueled Southern rock songs, or else they're sentimental folk/country-rock tunes that often have a sad sound with a heavy message. Musically, "Dreamsicle" falls under the latter category, but the term "Dreamsicle" is actually not some kind of strange metaphor like you might expect from Isbell. Instead, "Dreamsicle" is exactly that - a popsicle! Fittingly, the song manages to serve as comfort food for troubled souls the world around, with lyrics that recount the simple yet unforgettable pleasures of youthful summer vacations that Jason had during his mid-teens.


"Hallucinogenics" by Matt Maeson: Indie-folk/pop musician, Matt Maeson, has had equal success on both the Alternative and Adult Alternative charts so far with "Cringe" and "Go Easy". His third single, "Hallucinogenics", seems to have been his most popular so far on the Alternative charts, probably due to its druggy sounding title, and perhaps also for its use of the F word in only the third line of the song. Seems to follow the Lana Del Rey blueprint of "sex, drugs, and not-quite-rock-and-roll", and the sound of "Hallucinogenics" is somewhat similar to LDR too, albeit a bit more upbeat and tongue-in-cheek. Underneath the song's sweet sound, "Hallucinogenics" is actually somewhat defiant (as much as an indie-pop song can be, anyway), with its vague sense of pride about drug use, as well as its subtle f-you to religion in the recurring line, "Go find yourself a man who's strong, tall, and Christian", indicating that Matt is not a man of God, but a man who plays by his own rules. The line, "I carried on like the wayward son", seems to show that Matt is indeed a rock and roll fan, but the sound of this song suggests otherwise.


"No Flag" by Elvis Costello: Last but not least, we now come to a rock song that is TRULY defiant, from a rocker who is truly defiant! Leave it to Elvis C to continue asking what's so funny about peace, love, and understanding almost 40 years after he first asked that question! "No Flag" starts off being somewhat trippy and mysterious before launching into a rhythmically orchestrated tirade of shattering electric guitars and unapologetically angry words. This is punk rock (or more accurately, psychedelic punk-jazz) from a man who truly knows how to do it! The song is more than likely about just how chaotic the world has gotten. Though Costello hails from Britain, he is certainly aware of American political affairs as well, venomously spewing the title of his song as a not-so-subtle symbol of anarchy. He also rants against religion ("no God for the d*mn that I don't give") and the state of the world as a whole ("I sense no future, but time seems to drag"). This is the sort of punk music that groups like Green Day yearn to be, but never quite get to, the way it was meant to be!

New songs for March 20th, 2019

here they are:

"I Was Wrong" by Bailen: Bailen isn't really doing anything new or different with their debut song, "I Was Wrong", but it's still a pleasant one to hear for those who enjoy contemporary folk-pop with electronic beats. The guy/girl harmony combinations are a nice touch for this song, and the girl has a solo singing part during the chorus. Not a whole lot of profound lyrics here to be found either, but not bad either. The most surprising part of this song is the brief electric guitar solo in the middle of it.


"Mettavolution" by Rodrigo y Gabriela: The best Hispanic instrumental flamenco-rock duo are back! They have had only one other release I've reviewed from them this decade, with 2014's "The Soundmaker". If it weren't for that song, it would have been a full decade that Rodrigo y Gabriela would have been on musical hiatus from adult alt radio stations. No other group combines flamenco and rock the way they do, and with their latest release, "Mettavolution", they keep their talent going! One way to distinguish R & G's songs from one another is to tell what key they're in. "Mettavolution" is in the key of F sharp minor, which hasn't been used for any other R & G song that's gotten significant adult alt radio airplay. The echoic distortion in the middle of the song also sets it apart.


"Missed Connection" by The Head and The Heart: The Head and The Heart were a wonderful group when they started out, but their third album went in more of a pop direction than I wanted them to. "Missed Connection" continues in that direction. The gooey yet catchy alt-pop sound is apparent right from the "la-la-la-la"s of the opening. This is probably the closest to mainstream pop that The Head and The Heart have gotten so far. The one entertaining thing about this song is how the pre-chorus sounds a bit like the irresistibly cheesy '80s pop song, "Rock Me Amadeus". Why they based "Missed Connection" on that song is anyone's guess, as it strays pretty far from the band's folk-rock roots, but perhaps that was intentional on their part.


"When Am I Gonna Lose You?" by Local Natives: While The Head and The Heart might be dumbing down their sound, Local Natives are actually improving theirs! Local Natives typically have hypnotic indie-pop and indie-folk songs, so they're already an alluring band to me. However, there seems to be something even more special about "When Am I Gonna Lose You?" Perhaps it's the way the pianos in the song flow so seamlessly into the vocal harmonies of the band. Perhaps it's just the bittersweet flavor the song gives off. Whatever it is, though, it's got me hooked! The lyrics are equally as poetic as the song itself, with such lines as, "I remember the trees summoned down by an archangel choir", and, "The ocean was all we could see and I knew that I wanted you." Pure beauty!

Forever Young!

The words "youth" and "child" appear in the only two songs I have for this week. Therefore I thought "Forever Young" would be a clever title for this week's blog. Anyway, on with the show!


"Fountain of Youth" by Local Natives: Whenever a new political age is ushered in, new songs are ushered in to go along with that. The '60s saw many such songs, and even the era of Bush the younger got an entire Green Day album in protest of it in response. Not a whole lot of songs have been written yet about Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump, or Bernie Sanders, but Local Natives address the first of these three in their latest song, "Fountain of Youth", referring to her as "Mrs. President", perhaps in a tongue-in-cheek manner. The song's chorus of "We can do whatever we want. We can say whatever we need" seems like an accurate representation of the disillusionment a lot of young people (and quite a few older ones, too) feel about the current political climate. The new revolution has just begun. There is more of it to come, I'm sure of it!


"If I Ever Was A Child" by Wilco: At long, long last, Wilco return to their roots as a folk/country-rock group after quite a few albums with a feedback drenched psychedelic rock influenced sound. The lyrics and mood of this song are both bittersweet, something Wilco haven't really touched upon in their music since their 2009 song, "You and I", which was a duet with Feist. "If I Ever Was A Child", as its title seems to imply, is a sweet, nostalgic sounding song that also has an air of sadness to it. The song's chorus expresses that Jeff Tweedy was "never alone long enough to know if (he) ever was a child." Perhaps Tweedy is pining for simpler times on this song, and the entire album, at that, which is largely composed of folk-rock and country-rock tunes that lack the distortion present on so many other recent Wilco songs.

New songs for January 23rd, 2013

here they are:


"A Memo" by Robert Cray: The man behind the mid-'80s blues-rock song, "Smoking Gun", is back again. He gave us a similar song to "Smoking Gun" ("Won't Be Coming Home") last summer. His latest song, "A Memo", still has that "clean polished" blues-rock vibe behind it, but somehow it feels more like an authentic brand of blues than "(Won't Be) Coming Home" did. Plenty of tasty blues-y guitar licks to be found in "A Memo", as well as its organs backing it up to give it that "vintage soul" flavor. A title like "A Memo" makes it sound like an urgent song, but it's actually a love song. Dunno where Robert Cray came up with the title for this song, but at least the song itself is decent material.


"Demons" by Imagine Dragons: One of the most major (and unexpected) smashes of 2012 came from Imagine Dragons, in the form of the transcendental sounding alt-pop song, "It's Time". Since then, I've heard quite a few more songs from the oddly named Imagine Dragons ("Radioactive", "Amsterdam", "Round and Round"), yet only one other song of theirs (so far) has made it on to the adult alt airwaves, and that is their song "Demons". It honestly puzzles me to think that "Demons" is only ID's second adult alt radio hit, since the other songs I named are equally compelling ("Radioactive" has even become a hit on regular alt stations). The title alone of "Demons" indicates it's kind of a downer song, lyrically, and it certainly turns out to be that upon listening to it (especially with such cynical lyrics as, "No matter what we breed, we are still made of greed"). A far cry from the "I'm never changing who I am", positive atmosphere of "It's Time", but still a great song!


"Good Things Happen to Bad People" by Richard Thompson: Richard Thompson is, in some ways, like Neil Young's lesser-known counterpart from the British isles. He doesn't usually rock as hard as Neil does, but he does tend to drift between doing acoustic and electric guitar songs (interestingly, Thompson's newest album is even CALLED "Electric"). "Good Things Happen to Bad People" has a sound that's closer to acoustic than electric, though (except during the solo, which is somewhat Neil Young-ish), despite its album's title. Richard's songs usually have engaging, creative narratives (one of his best being "1952 Vincent Black Lightning", about an ill-fated romance that occurs because of the mutual love that the song's characters share for a vintage motorcycle). "Good Things Happen to Bad People", just from its title, seems like it would have an interesting narrative as well, and it does. The song is basically composed of fictional vignettes that all relate to jealousy. Thompson has always been clever and inventive in terms of both his music and his lyrics, and it's great to see he still has the talent for both!


"Heavy Feet" by Local Natives: When Local Natives released "Breakers" as the first single from their latest album, I was a bit disappointed. Instead of the dreamy, psychedelic neo-folk that Local Natives are known for, I got something that sounded a bit more modern and techno influenced. Thankfully, with "Heavy Feet", the second song off The Natives' latest CD, the band redeems themselves, and I get exactly what I would expect out of them, ultra mellow neo-psychedelia. I have adored the unique style of Local Natives ever since they came out around 2010, but "Heavy Feet" marks the first time I've heard them on adult alt radio. Not sure why it took 'em this long to get there, but at least they're there now! Though "Heavy Feet" is written in a major key, the sighing heave in both the vocals and the guitar of the song suggest a more lonesome, dreary emotional quality that major key songs don't often have. The chorus of the song ("After everything/Left in the sun/Shivering") only confirms the desolate nature of it. Yet, as I often say, sad songs make me happy (perhaps its the therapeutic, soothing vibe they give off?!) So "Heavy Feet" is a winner for me!


"Party Kids" by Sallie Ford and The Sound Outside: And now, we move from a sad song to a more upbeat one, and a really gritty, blues-y one, too! Previously, I only knew Sallie for being the singer that Black Prairie's lead singer did a duet with on their Christmas song, "(Everybody's Waiting For) The Man With the Bag". "Party Kids", of course, is no Christmas song, but with its bouncy, energetic sound, it sure feels like a holiday just listening to it! To add to the spicy flavor of the instrumentation of "Party Kids" are the lyrics, which gave me the impression that "party" referred to one involving alcohol and rebellion, as opposed to just an innocent, "fun" party. Then again, with the gutsy vocals of Sallie Ford, and the upfront attitude of the song, what else would you expect?!


"Running For Cover" by Ivan & Alyosha: Although Ivan and Alyosha are probably the actual names of the members of the band, it seems like even their NAME makes them sound "indie" (perhaps part of the reason why is because of the incredibly unusual name "Alyosha"). It turned out my guessing that Ivan & Alyosha were an indie band was correct, and they're a darn good one, at that! More specifically, Ivan & Alyosha are an indie-folk band, with acoustic guitar, light percussion, and an electric guitar in the background as the main instruments. The song's harmonies and acoustic guitar based sound convey a sense of sweetness, while its melody and lyrics are more fragile than that. Somehow, though, the combination of sweetness and fragility in "Running For Cover" manage to be quite a winning one!


"Upstarts" by Johnny Marr: "Upstarts" is a word that one might use to describe Johnny Marr's ex-bandmate, Morrissey, from The Smiths, who was known for being both pretentious and cynical. In the music world, Morrissey is both the ultimate deadpan snarker and the ultimate pessimist, so I was expecting something similar from Johnny Marr. What I got, though, was something completely different! "Upstarts" sounds more upbeat than most Smiths/Morrissey songs, suggesting more of a garage-rock/punk-pop flavor than the gloomy alt-pop that Morrissey typically did. If Morrissey's ultra-low baritone could be considered a male version of The Velvet Underground's Nico (which I'm sure it could), then Johnny Marr is like The Smiths' equivalent to Lou Reed. Johnny has more attitude in both his music and vocals than Morrissey, much like how Lou Reed has more of said qualities in comparison to Nico. Since Johnny was The Smiths' guitarist, it's not a rare opportunity to hear him play guitar, but it's incredibly rare to hear him sing. Having heard his voice for the first time on "Upstarts", I must say that he's pretty good at it!